General Election 2024: Sunak dodges media amid D-Day row as Starmer vows 'no tax surprises'

Politics Correspondent Shehab Khan has all of the highlights of Saturday's General Election campaign

The prime minister ducked media questions as he was back campaigning on Saturday as he tried to move on from the fallout of his decision to return early from D-Day commemorations in France.

Rishi Sunak was out in Yorkshire and the North East hoping to get people talking about his new pledge to cut stamp duty for first time buyers.

But, after a difficult couple of days for Mr Sunak, the prime minister cancelled a planned media event, with the Tories citing time constraints on his tour of County Durham and North Yorkshire on Saturday.

Instead, Mr Sunak met volunteers away from public view at a walled garden in Bishop Auckland, before attending a village fete in Great Ayton, a village in his Richmond constituency.

Rishi Sunak visited a Big Help Out project in a walled garden in Bishop Auckland on Saturday Credit: Phil Nobel/PA

Mr Sunak was forced to apologise for leaving France before an international ceremony attended by world leaders including US President Joe Biden to mark the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings to record an interview with ITV's Tonight programme, due to air next week.

It prompted a fierce backlash from political rivals and some Conservatives already nervous about their party’s electoral prospects.

Transport secretary Mark Harper called Mr Sunak's decision a "mistake", a day after senior Conservative Penny Mordaunt branded it “completely wrong” during the BBC election debate on Friday.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said it was “such a letdown for our whole country” while Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer stressed he felt it was his “duty” to thank veterans at the event Mr Sunak missed.

Rishi Sunak’s absence from the international D-Day 80th anniversary event continued to cause difficulties for the Tories Credit: Abaca Press/Alamy/PA

Labour brewing plans for small businesses

Sir Keir was banging the drum for small firms on a campaign visit to a canal-side Camden brewery alongside Dragons’ Den star Deborah Meaden.

He promised an overhaul of the business rates system because “there’s not a level playing field between businesses that are online and those that are sort of bricks and mortar”.

Ms Meaden praised Labour’s plan to set up Great British Energy, a publicly owned sustainable power company, as “absolutely brilliant”.

“Businesses don’t like being out of control of costs, and energy is one of those costs that simply fluctuates beyond your control,” the celebrity investor told the PA news agency.

Sir Keir Starmer with Deborah Meaden Credit: Stefan Rousseau/PA
A child gets handsy with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer during his visit to Harlesden Town Garden in London Credit: Stefan Rousseau/PA

Sir Keir also told broadcasters there “won’t be any surprises on tax” in Labour’s manifesto expected next week.

After pulling the first pint of the day at 10.55am, the Labour leader joked that “if all else fails” he would be back at the north London brewery on July 5.

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves was also touting Labour’s offer for growing businesses on the Farnborough high street with retail guru Mary Portas.

Meanwhile, Labour’s pledge to introduce an age cap of 80 on peers and axe new hereditary roles, as reported in The Times, got some flak after Sir Keir previously vowed to abolish the House of Lords.

Ed Davey campaigning is par for the course

Staying true to his penchant for attention-grabbing photo ops, Sir Ed tried his hand at tennis in Newbury and played adventure golf in Wokingham.

He visited the two Tory-held seats to promote the Lib Dems’ proposal to plough £50 million a year into creating three new national parks.

He batted away accusations the Lib Dems are “nimbys” for focusing on parks amid a housing crisis and low economic growth.

Sir Ed Davey playing a round at Wokingham Family Golf in Berkshire while on the General Election campaign trail Credit: Will Durrant/PA

And after a round of mini golf on a dinosaur-themed course, Sir Ed said he would not put a figure on the number of seats he would consider a “bad result” because “I don’t like putting a ceiling on our ambitions”.

More lifelong Conservatives are going yellow, he said, noting that Mr Sunak’s D-Day snub “really cut through”.

“The veterans and their families are very upset and I think people who traditionally have thought the Conservatives are the party of patriotism no longer think that.”

Salt from Swinney

Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney said Mr Sunak's D-Day blunder had “completely destroyed” the prime minister's credibility.

The SNP leader also said his predecessor-but-one Nicola Sturgeon has a “huge” contribution to make in the party’s General Election campaign.

First Minister John Swinney (left) during a visit to the Reconnect Howden Park Centre in Howden, Livingston. Credit: PA

She has kept a relatively low profile amid a police probe into the spending of £600,000 of SNP funds.

Mr Swinney would not be drawn on why his former boss had not been seen alongside him on the campaign trail so far, but told PA in Livingston: “I welcome very much Nicola’s contribution”.

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